


Arbutus

by ADeadlySheep



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst?, Based on a song, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-08-26 07:01:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16676836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ADeadlySheep/pseuds/ADeadlySheep
Summary: "The word Arbutus actually means “You are the only one Loves” and is basically a promise that what they have will not only be warm, but will last." Source: https://www.canadianflowerdelivery.com/arbutus.aspxBased on the song: Should I by Arum Rae





	Arbutus

Arbutus flowers were tightly wrapped in gentle and clean wrapping paper, a silver ribbon delicately tied into a simple bow as a card dangled from the knot. The folded paper read the same as it always had whenever he would send flowers. His careful and magnificent cursive spiraled across the small white canvas to spell out a small story that could make a movie last weeks from the amount of care he poured into writing those few words he writes every time he does this.

_‘I will be back soon, I promise. With love ~ Ignis.’_

Carefully unraveling the ribbon, I took the new flowers and replaced them with the already wilted ones he had sent two weeks prior. All arbutus flowers, all gentle pastel colors, all fresh and smelling straight from the florist. It all meant the same, it all meant the exact same thing every time he sends me flowers time and time again. It was like purgatory, like the story of Sisyphus: A goal was in front of me - right in front of my eyes - but fate simply dragged me away no matter how much I had pleaded for fate to unhand me from her cold and unloving grip.

He was right there, miles away in the lit up Citadel working his life away like he has been doing for years. This was his only way of communicating with me, letting me know he still cares enough to send me flowers, letting me know he still hasn’t forgotten about me or my undying love and care to him. But this love was nothing but torture as I was unable to communicate back as he was always busy, never having time to answer my calls or messages as he had either just entered a meeting or was being questioned by a royal official or he had just left on a hunt for a daemon terrorizing the streets of the new Insomnia.

It wasn’t fair.

It wasn’t fair how I couldn’t say something back to him. My only proof to show that I still loved him, that I still care for him, was to keep the arbutus flowers for as long as I can until he sends me another fresh bouquet. That was the only way I could prove it to him and fate herself.

Peering out of the large window, my eyes landed on the Citadel, gluing my sights to the large building and watching as the building stood still and towered over everything.

That was where he was working non-stop for the past two years. He had to stay there as soon as Noctis went missing and darkness plagued everything. He had a job to do, people to protect, papers to file and a city to run. He didn’t need any more distractions which is what kept me from going to the Citadel myself as I feared I would make things worse.

Feeling my chest tighten, I let out a soft sigh as I turned around and wandered around the apartment. It was lonely in the cavity I had once called home with him until he was placed back into the line of duty. It just seemed… hollow without him here.

My fingers gently pressed against the leather chair that Ignis had claimed for himself. My nails dug into the beige seams while my thumb stroked the dark brown leather that had laid unused ever since he left. It hasn’t been used or moved ever since he left for his work. I didn’t dare sit in it.

Pulling my hand away, I wandered around a bit more as I observed the walls and made eye contact with pictures and portraits of Ignis and I along with photographs of our adventures until my eyes stopped on the fireplace.

I had just gone into one big circle as I was now standing next to Ignis’ chair once more, staring at the fireplace - which had not served its purpose for awhile - as my eyes stilled on the portrait hanging above the bricks. It was our wedding photo, dusty and unkempt which hid most of our faces and bodies.

How long had it been since I cleaned it?

Reaching up, my fingers slid under the dusty silver border and gently tugged it down. As I brushed my fingers along the dust, I made sure I could see Ignis’ face past the dusty glass causing my heart to ache.

He was smiling with tears brimming his eyes and his nose turning a light pink. I remembered that day: He was so emotional that day. It was the first and only time I have ever seen Ignis cry from… just him in love and in happiness.

My throat tightened and tears had brimmed my own eyes the more I had cleaned the portrait until I had realized I was sobbing silently when my tears started to smack against the clean glass.

Wiping away my tears and finishing up, I tried to calm down. I left the portrait on the coffee table and made my ways over to the back of the living room to where the records and wine were kept.

My fingers weaved to the knob, one hand pulled the door open gently and slipped the fingers around a bottle of unopened red wine while my other hand flipped through the records. It was mostly classical and jazz with a few old rock records from the seventies and eighties. Eyeing the record player not to far away, I slipped a hand down into a random record case and pulled out the disc before making my ways over to the object. Sweet music filled the quiet void of the apartment as soon as I set the needle down, classical tunes and harmonies dancing through the air to calm even the most agitated behemoth down.

I hadn’t realized what my hands were doing until I felt my nails digging into the cork of the wine bottle and popping it open softly. As I looked down, I smiled slightly as I realized it was Ignis’ favorite brand of red. Of course, my hand would pick this in these trying times.

It also didn’t surprise me when I “accidentally” took out two wine glasses instead of one from the cabinets. A part of me wanted to pour the liquid into the second glass as my hope made me think and believe that Ignis would one day truly return to this apartment.

Tipping the glass bottle, I drained most of the contents into both glasses as I still held onto that childish hope that would soon be swallowed up by nothing more but the harsh reality. The red liquid poured down my throat, attempting to remove the tightness in my chest and stomach, but it didn’t do much.

The portrait seemed to call me while I was halfway through my glass, the picture haunting me more and more as I just felt… depressed. Walking my ways from the kitchen counter to the portrait, my nail grazed Ignis’ face, tracing his jawline and his hair that been groomed downwards for the occasion much to my pleading.

I found myself smiling softly the more I looked at the two of us adorned in white and smiling as much as we could.

I hadn’t realized the jingle of keys or the twisting of the brass knob until the front door had creaked open. Turning my head slightly, I just knew by seeing the cane in the doorway that it was him.

I set the glass down as quickly as I could before just racing into his arms and engulfing him in a tight hug as I started to shake and tears starting to pour out of my eyes once more.

He smelt just the same: Baked goods and pastries, a faint aftershave and a bit of sweet red wine.

His hands grasped my waist and drew me in closer until there was no space between us as his hands squeezed my body while we both stayed silent for just a pregnant pause.

“You’re home,” I managed to whimper out as I buried my face into his neck.

“I’m home darling,” he reassured me.


End file.
